Thank you!

As I sit down this morning in what is almost a bare classroom I ask myself... where has the time went? I cannot believe that we only have three days left together. This has been an amazing year. Many wonderful memories have been made that I will cherish forever. My number one phrase that I tell the kiddies over and over all year is "always be the best that you can be." Each and every one of them took on that challenge and did just that this year. I am so proud of all of them. I hope that they remember this phrase and take it with them to grade four and beyond.
I also live by that motto myself. This was my first full year back as a working mommy. It was not easy to leave sweet little Ashleigh at home, but I was so lucky to always be greeted each morning by the smiling faces of my 20 other babies. What a blessing my job is! Thank you moms and dads for your ongoing support. I could not do this job so successfully without you. Thank you for encouraging your kids to always be the best that they can be. 
I am so sad to let this group go. I hope that they always remember me and pop by to Room 209 for visits. Boys and girls, always know that I am a soft shoulder to land on. When life seems to throw you lemons, come to Mrs. Linse's room and we can make lemonade together. I love you all so much!  

We Love Books!

Today Mrs. Murray hosted a used book sale in the library. Almost all of us left with at least one book to enjoy over the summer months. I am so proud that I have a room full of bookworms! Most of the chickadees prefer a good book over a different free time activity in the classroom. It's really quite amazing!  
I strongly encourage everyone to read lots over the summer. At least 20 minutes a day. Last night I came across a website that states: "The research is clear that children who don't read during the summer can lose up to three months of reading progress and that loss has a cumulative, long-term effect" (readingrockets.org). All of us have come so far in our reading progress this year, that it would be a shame to lose our great skills over the lazy hazy summer months. I have attached a link to the website which is full of summer reading information, research and ideas.
Also, check in with the blog over the summer months. From time to time I will post some book titles that I think the kiddies might enjoy.
Happy Reading!

Summer Reading

What a Blast!

Today was A LOT of fun! Everyone came dressed in orange and / or black and was ready to have a good time!
We played lots of Smartboard games, watched a movie, had snacks and some preferred activity time.
Below is a link to some photos of the festivities (same password as always).

Winkflash Pictures

Also is a link to a fun on-line game we played called
"Beat the Cheese."

Beat The Cheese

Our class high score right now is 30!

Garfield's Birthday

Tomorrow the boys and girls are asked to wear orange and black because we will be celebrating Garfield's Birthday!

This is a special way that we celebrate all our hard work and preparation for EQAO.
Tomorrow will be a day filled with games, goodies and lots of fun!

I will be sure to post pictures of the festivities!

Math Problem

Here is today's practice problem:

Mrs. Linse and Mrs. Mihalides are playing a game. They roll a dice ten times. If it lands on an even number Mrs. M gets a point. If it lands on an odd number, Mrs. Linse gets the point. Is this a fair game? 
Explain. 

Social Studies

Today we had a great social studies lesson. We learned about the differences between goods and services, what trade is, and how land is used in a rural versus an urban community.
We all completed very detailed journal responses afterwards. I was impressed with the quality of these today. Everyone also came up with a great "I wonder" question that demonstrated higher level thinking and related to the lesson. Great job boys and girls!

Math Test

We will have a short probability math quiz this Thursday. Duotangs will be sent home each night for review. The following should be practised:

- the probability of an event (using the words: likely,   unlikely, impossible, certain and equally likely)
- the probability of experiments 
- the difference between fair and unfair games.

I will post sample questions this week.

Here is today's problem:

In a bag I put counters. 
There are 2 red, 3 purple, 8 yellow.

What is the probability that I will pull out a yellow counter?
Is this a fair game? Remember to use math word to explain your thinking!

Stranger Safety

In June I like to do a mini health unit in stranger safety. With summer vacation, comes changes to our daily routines and an increase in day trips. As a result,  I think it is beneficial for us to have a few reminders and discussions around safety.
I am very careful in my discussions to not scare the kiddies. Here are some things we will discuss over the coming weeks:

 - Anyone we do not know is a stranger. Most of these people are good, however, we do not know them so we should not talk or visit with them unless we have permission from our parents.
- We should not answer the door by ourselves
- When we answer the telephone we should never say if mom or dad are not home or give out our address
- We should not talk to strangers when out and about (like at places like the park)
- When playing online we never give out our personal information

What's The Chance?

We have been learning about probability in math. 
Some terms we have been using are:

fair
probability
likely
unlikely
equally likely
certain
impossible
chance

Here is an online activity that your child can play to practice what we have been learning. 

Probability Activity

Relaxing Day!

Today was a relaxing day for us! With all of our hard work last week, I thought I would treat the kids to a "day off" so to say. In the morning we played outside with hula-hoops, soccer balls and skip-its and then in the afternoon we started to watch a movie while enjoying ice cream sandwiches! Tomorrow we will get back into the swing of things with some math and social studies.
The movie we started is called "Everyone's Hero." It is an adorable flick all about perseverance and not giving up... something we all demonstrated last week!

Movie Trailer

Happy Weekend

Today was a lovely day to do throw some stones down at the lake.
How did you spend your Saturday?